"Heiji, you can show Kazuha your room if you already know each other.", Says his mother.
He nods and shows me the way to the stairs.
"But no mess!", My brother whispers in my ear and I give him a small slap on the arm and follow Heiji.
Arrived on the 2nd floor he shows me to the right and then to the 2nd door. I open the front door and see a large blue room with various soccer and kendo posters on the wall and a huge double bed that is right in the entrance.
"Wow, that's huge!" I can only say.
"Well. You have to see my parents' bedroom and Yuna's room. They are big. You could have made a new apartment out of them."
I look at him briefly and then go on to his room. He has a TV and next to it is the stereo with huge speakers. Everything is huge in his room. Even the desk, the cupboard, the lamps, the window with the balcony, everything.In contrast, my room is just a small shack.
"Well, then ... we can go back downstairs!" Says Heiji.
When I was about to get up, I happened to look out the window and saw a window opposite with my curtains! In disbelief, I went to the window to see them more clearly, but without a doubt: these are my curtains!
"What is there?" Asks Heiji.
"Well, it is like that. Those over there are ... my curtains."
"How now? Are you saying that ...?"
"Exactly! Our rooms are opposite."
"Oh ... NO! That doesn't exist! First the meeting in the hospital, then we are neighbors and now our rooms are next to each other. That can't be true!"
"Something wants us to see each other all the time," I state.
"You believe in fate and higher powers and stuff like that?" He asks stupidly.
"No, not really. But ... after all these incidents.", I answer and go downstairs, brooding.
"Well, did you have a nice look around and talked?", asks Heiji's mum when we got downstairs. I just nod my head and she leads me into the dining room, where everyone is patiently waiting for food. Actually, patient is not the right word. My brother wobbles back and forth at the table and holds his stomach because he's hungry. Somehow he's always hungry. Whenever we're somewhere: "Mom, I'm hungry. Mom, I'm thirsty!" Constantly! I sit next to my mother and Heiji sits across from me and hands me a bowl of rice. Thankfully I accept it and take sauce and okunumiaki, put it on the plate and add some rice. I notice that Heiji is watching me, but ignore it and just keep eating. But mine cheeky brother says again what I think:
"Hey Heiji. What are you watching Kazuha? Can't take your eyes off her since you first saw her?"
I didn't think of the latter!
"No, don't talk such a joke! I just think it's funny how she eats the okunumiaki.The sauce is actually used on the rice and not on the okunumiaki. "he replies.
"Nonsense. You eat the rice with it and not as a main course." I disagree.
"No, the Okunumiaki are side dishes. What are your eating habits in Nagoya !?"
His mum pokes at him from the side, signaling that it wasn't very polite what he said. But attack is the best defense and this is how I defend myself:
"At least better than you guys here in Osaka. Hopefully I'll never get used to it!"
The rest of the day is harmonious again and we get on very well with the Hattoris.
The next day the phone rings and I answer it. It is Yuna who asks me if she could show me the city. Of course I agree and go over to our neighbors. Before I ring the bell, Heiji opens the door for me and lets me in.
"Hi, how are you?" I greet him friendly.
"Quite good and you?"
"I'm fine. Today, for the first time, I see my new hometown in full size.Isn't it great! "
"Hmm, and I have to go with you!" He mumbles and puts on his shoes.
"How do you have to come with me ?! Yuna wanted to show me the city."
"Do you think my mum will let her 9-year-old daughter walk through Osaka alone?"
"But she's not alone. I'm here!"
"I told her that too, but she said that you don't know your way around and that you still need a" protector ". Parents!"
I sigh and see that Yuna is saying goodbye to her mom and then looking at me beaming with joy. But when she sees my, not so enthusiastic, face she asks right away:
"What kind of louse got down your liver?"
She has exactly the same sayings as her brother. Probably runs in the family.
"Oh nothing. I just didn't think your brother would come with me. That's all."
At these words, Heiji looks at me angrily.
"That's good right now. You don't even know how much fun you can have with him. His expression is deceptive. He's actually a really funny and nice guy.Believe me! "she replies.
"If you think so!" I say and look over at Heiji, who is making a grimace.
I laugh a little and Yuna says:
"Do you see!"
Then Heiji goes to the door and holds it for us. He wasn't like that in the hospital.
Pouting, I go outside the door and wait until the other two have finished too.
"That will be great today. Don't you think so too, Heiji?", Says Yuna happily when she comes outside with her brother.
"Hmm.", Says Heiji and points to the right.
"What do you want to show me first?" I ask after a while.
"You will see in a moment.", He answers and nods towards the city center.
In the distance I see a huge tower.
"Oh yes, to the transmission tower, to the transmission tower!" Yells Yuna and jumps up and down.
I think now I don't think it's so great that she goes with me. It's really annoying!
"Exactly, to Tut en Kaku. And then to the stadium. I can show you where I train for kendo, if that interests you.""Show me everything you want.", I then say and we cross a zebra crossing.
When we got to the tower, look up to see how big this tower really is. But I already get an answer from Heiji:
"The tower is 80 m high and has 22 floors. In the lower area there is a cafe, shops and the acceptance point. Then there are all the offices, which do not matter to us, and at the very top is the viewing point. We want to go there! "
To show that I get it, I nod and the three of us walk through the door, which opens automatically, and then take the elevator to the very top. Actually, I'm free from giddiness, but the thought of looking so far downstairs makes me a little queasy. When I finally got to the top, I notice that the slot is very well attended. There are a bunch of people there just to look out from up here. I see a vacant space on the window and quickly run to it.When I look outside, I can't stop being amazed. I would never have thought that Osaka is so big. Now Heiji and Yuna come and stand next to me.
"And what do you say?", Heiji asks me with his face turned outside.
"Not bad. Do we want to see it all today?"
"Oh nonsense! We can't do that at all. Tomorrow is still another day and besides, there are holidays. We can take our time and enjoy everything."
"Enjoy? You like me to be with you, huh?" I say ironically and smile.
"How ..? No .. I didn't mean it that way! I meant that we are the city ..." he exclaims, but I interrupt him:
"It's okay. I already know what you mean. That was just a little joke!"
"Great joke!", He replies and looks out again, offended.
"Oh, don't be offended. I didn't mean angry."
"I'm hungry.", Yuna intervenes.
"No wonder. It's already at one.Well, let's go downstairs to the cafe '. ", says Heiji and we go back down with the elevator.
"Oh crap, I don't have any money with me. I can't eat with me," I remark as we sit at the table.
"Never mind. My mum gave me enough. I'll pay for you.", Says Heiji, but I disagree:
"No, no. I'm not that hungry either. It's okay."
Suddenly my stomach growls so loud that I blush and grin. Heiji laughs a little and when the waiter arrives he orders:
"2 times eel on rice, large, and then a small portion of squid balls."
"Very good, Heiji.", Says the waiter and goes back to the kitchen.
"Wow, you are that famous already!" I mean ironically.
"Hmm? Why?" He asks back stupidly.
"Well, the waiter knows your name and most of them have already whispered where we went around here. Didn't you notice?"
"Yes .. sure. But ... I don't mind."
"Well, I wouldn't mind if everyone knew me.""I don't mean that. I mean ... oh, leave me alone!"
"Oooh, the great Heiji was speechless," I say in an ironic tone.
This is what Heiji strikes back:
"You're just jealous. Admit it!"
"I'm jealous? Don't be too foolish about your fame."
"I won't do that either."
"Yes yes. You ..."
"So, twice eel on rice and squid balls.", The waiter interrupts me and puts the food on the table.
"Bon appetit.", He says with a smile and goes back to the kitchen.
Driven by hunger I completely forgot what I wanted to say and so I grab my chopsticks and start to eat.
Next we go to his kendo training ground. He said it was very close. I think we've been walking around here for half an hour.
"Up there! See?", Heiji suddenly calls and points to a large building on the other side of the street. I nod and Heiji unexpectedly runs across the street.He calls out to me, but I don't react that quickly and have to wait until the traffic light is green again. When it is her again I walk comfortably over the zebra crossing to annoy him a bit.
"Why didn't you run with me?" He asks.
"I couldn't react that quickly. Do you think I foresee that you will suddenly run across the street like a madman?"
"No, of course not .... It doesn't matter now. Come with me!", He says and leads me into the large Kendo building. He enthusiastically shows me every room and explains everything from the sword to all the fighting techniques. I only get half of it, but I still listen to him eagerly. He seems to really like this sport. I wouldn't be surprised if he would later become the Asian champion. When we are done and are about to leave the house, I hear a boy's voice that says:
"Oh Heiji. Did you finally tear up a girl. It's crazy!"
Startled we turn around and Heiji says:"Don't shit like that, Kenji."
"Why? There's a girl running next to you,